For the most part, the national media never believed the Detroit Lions were going to be able to repeat last season's success. But locally, fans, media members and the team had high expectations coming off a 10-6 campaign.

Early returns suggest the national media may have been on to something.

After four games, the Lions are 1-3 with road games in Philadelphia and Chicago on deck.

It's easy to look at a the Lions' two most recent losses and point to special teams as the culprit. In those games against the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings, the coverage units surrendered both a punt and kickoff return for touchdowns. Those breakdowns were the difference in both contests.

Still, even subtracting the woes on special teams, Detroit hardly looked dominant in any of its first four games. In a recent article by Pro Football Weekly, they talk to a "rival" general manager, who says the Lions' 2011 success was a mirage.

"The one thing that is clear - they are not as close as people have tried to make it seem. They are a one-dimensional offensive team that if the quarterback is not on, people are figuring it out. If you take (Calvin) Johnson out of the game, who else do they have that can beat you?

"They are not a team that I think is ready. If I am going there to take over the job, I am not thinking that is a quick fix."

Pro Football Weekly's use of the term rival is a bit ambiguous -- perhaps it's an NFC North general manager, or maybe just a GM from within the conference. It doesn't really matter. This is criticism coming from one of 32 men paid to evaluate talent and build an NFL roster.

Continuing, the general manager had harsh words about a handful of players on the Lions' roster, particularly Ndamukong Suh and the rest of the defensive line.

"They don't have enough good players, and the players they think are good are not that good. Suh belongs on the All-Hype team. Avril is not that good -- put on any game and you can watch him get blocked time and time again. Corey Willliams is solid, but nothing that wows you or makes you wonder how you are going to block him. The other guy (Kyle Vanden Bosch) is a try-hard guy getting up in years that does not really threaten you. For as much as people talk about that D-line and all its depth, where are all the players?

"I have listened to the media hype about Suh since he got in the league -- what has he done? Even the year he had all those garbage sacks, the guy took a million plays off and got pushed around in the run game. I have never thought he was a very good pro player. I liked him coming out and thought he had a chance. But I also never thought he was going to be the second coming that he was labeled. I am not sure who bestowed that on him, but it is kind of a joke."

The general manager also calls Lions general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz overrated.

ALLEN PARK -- In a recent interview with Pro Football Weekly, an anonymous general manager took some shots at the Detroit Lions, calling the team, coach Jim Schwartz, general manager Martin Mayhew and the players on the defensive line overrated.

Lions center Dominic Raiola said he expects criticism from fans or media members, but not from someone in the same industry, especially anonymously.

"If they had any balls, they'd say who they were," Raiola said. "That's a coward statement to me."

Raiola said the statements fire him up, but also admitted no one in the locker room needs extra motivation after the team's 1-3 start.

"If we're not fired up right now, after what happened in the first four weeks, you're in the wrong place."

Defensive end Cliff Avril, who the general manager said is "not that good," brushed off the criticism.

When San Francisco offensive lineman Joe Staley criticized the Lions defensive line as overrated earlier this season, Schwartz shrugged off the comments, saying the 49ers won the game between the two teams, so Staley was free to say what he wanted.

Schwartz took a similar approach with the recent comments from the anonymous GM, saying his team just needs to win more games.

"I mean, hey, we're 1-3," Schwartz said. "That's the thing we are right now. We need to go win. We're judged on winning in this league, not popularity contests, or what somebody says under the cloak of anonymity."

Kind of hilarious that this out. Especially after the Lion's were so hyped last year and that rift between KC and DET over the tampering and how KC looked like crap and DET looked awesome and were on there way to greatness. Now look? DET looks like crap. DET has one of the worst defenses I've seen. Gunther couldn't coordinate his dick into a vagina

He's good, but he's not that good. Ngata? Oh hell yeah, I'd give Ngata that contract. But I don't think Suh is presently worth what he's being paid. He has the potential to get there, but I don't think he has the drive.

There's some truth to that GM's statement - Suh is overrated, IMO.

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